


Consequences

by thestoryofme13



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Thomas Sanders
Genre: M/M, TinySides
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-02-16 17:06:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13058385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestoryofme13/pseuds/thestoryofme13
Summary: Concept: The sides were turned into children, around seven years old.  Thomas then must take care of all four as well as deal with whatever the consequences that come with the aspects of his personality are youngins.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Pairings: Only As Adults
> 
> Warnings: Death, anxiety, I don’t think there are more but if there are please let me know!
> 
> This is also the first thing I wrote....

Roman had just come back from the dreamscape world. He had felt pretty good about what he had done today, he decided to finally face the Dragonwitch. It had been a long day of sword fighting, he was not going to leave the cave until they were finally vanquished. Eventually, he finally got one good sword jab in that killed that mean Dragonwitch. Little did Roman know that the Dragonwitch had a son, Peter. Upon seeing his mother vanquished this boiled his blood, he vowed revenge on this Prince! Peter followed the Prince and realized Roman had other duties he had to attend to before leaving. Peter took this time to sneak into the mindscape.

Once in the mindscape Peter was a little disoriented, he looked around the room and found a large bed with a canopy above it. He found someone was still sleeping in that bed, it was Patton. Peter had time to think about what would be a suitable way to avenge his mother. Eventually, he decided that turning Roman’s friends and boyfriend into children would have to do. Peter had heard Roman scream that “This is to keep Patton safe!” before he killed the Dragonwitch. Before leaving the dreamscape Peter had concocted a potion to turn all four to children. He knew there were four because he had seen all of them roaming about the dream world at some time or another. He approached the sleeping side cautiously and sprinkled the potion on Patton and watched in delight as the side became a small child. He looked relatively peaceful, Peter was surprised that Patton had not woken up. Deciding that his work was done in that room he moved on to the next victim.

Peter then moved into the hallway. He heard some mumbling so he walked in the direction that he thought the noise came from. Eventually, he approached a door that was slightly cracked and he found Logan. Logan was sitting at his computer trying to make a detailed schedule for Thomas to follow. Peter couldn’t really understand what the logical side was mumbling but it sounded like, “The others better appreciate all the work and time that goes into this schedule. So help me if Patton or Roman try to change anything.” The door was slightly ajar so Peter slowly crept through the doorway and approached Logan. Once close enough he took some of the potion and chucked it at the side and watched as he began to decline in age. Figuring that he should not take any chances he had a sleeping potion, that was only temporary, five minutes at most, to sprinkle on this one to not interfere with the last side or the trap for the prince. With the logical side soundly sleeping in the computer desk chair as a small child, Peter moved on to the next victim.

Peter returned to the hallway hoping he chose the right way to find the last one, Virgil. Peter actually sort of related to Virgil in the way that other people and new situation made both of them extremely nervous so they avoided it at all costs. He approached the common room and found Virgil was asleep with Tumblr open on his laptop. Verge was sleeping on his stomach with his laptop in front of him on the couch. Peter was apprehensive about changing Virgil just because he connected with the anxious side on a level no one else had. He then thought about how Roman killed his mother and how proud she would be for avenging her. He wasn’t worried about Virgil waking up so Peter just poured the potion made for this side on Virgil and watched in amazement as the side shrunk down to being seven years old. He had wished they would be younger but seven was a good enough age.

Peter was making his way back to what he assumed was Roman’s room when he heard a noise from the said room. He wasn’t sure exactly what was happening but wanted to be prepared so upon hearing the noise he grabbed the sleeping potion and the deaging potion and approached the room with caution, upon entering the doorway to his horror he found the Prince had returned early. Roman was looking in wonder at the tiny child sleeping in his bed. He wasn’t entirely sure but the child looked like Patton. He kneeled down next to the bed and started to attempt to wake the side. What Roman didn’t notice was that behind him Peter was approaching the fanciful side from behind ready to douse him in the potion. Roman could sense a presence out of the ordinary so he turned around. Once Roman turned around he was met with a face full of potion and Peter said, “this is for my mother.” Peter then returned to the dreamscape feeling proud of everything he had accomplished

Thomas was trying to make a video and needed input from his sides. He summoned the fanciful side in order to think up an idea. Roman appeared in his usual clothing but smaller.

Roman, “you called?”

Thomas obviously was taken aback by the seven-year-old, “What happened!”

Roman, “we aren’t really sure but it may have something to do with the dragon-witch”

Thomas “Did you say WE?!”

Roman then summons the other traits. Logan appears in a button-down shirt, khakis, and a clip-on tie. Patton appeared next in his cat onesie. Finally, Virgil appeared in an oversized hoodie to the point that you could only see his ankles.

Thomas squealing, “What the heck! You all are so small!!!!”

Virgil recoils at the loud noise, Thomas notices and tones it down slightly. Thomas looks at Logan for clarification.

Logan, “Well it seems we are all small, it’s Roman’s fault, and this is not good.”

Thomas stopped listening and had started playing pattycake with Patton.

Logan and Virgil both seemed very annoyed with this turn of events. Thomas stopped playing pattycake and decided to listen to the logical side.

Thomas, “Well obviously you guys can’t go back to the mind palace so I guess we are having a sleepover here!”

Roman and Patton begin squealing, while Logan and Virgil both glare at the other more outgoing sides and cover their ears. Thomas makes a mental note that Logan and Virgil are very sensitive to noise. Thomas starts to set up the living room for the sleepover but it can be difficult to prepare one room for five people to sleep in while also having the tiny sides going about their normal stuff. Logan had found crayons and decided to try and make a schedule for tonight’s festivities on the wall. Thomas upon seeing this had to stop putting down an air mattress to remove the crayon from the little logical side’s hand. “Logan, what made you think writing on the wall was a good idea? ” Thomas said. The little boy looked up at Thomas with the most innocent pair of brown eyes and his bottom lip started to quiver. “I was just trying to help! I wanted to make sure that our time is spent well tonight so that we can work on the video tonight” the tiny side said with a slight sadness in his voice. He was unsure of why the tone or the words that Thomas said made him so emotional. Patton upon hearing Logan’s voice walked over from the other side of the room to give him a hug. Logan still wasn’t terribly fond of human contact but some part of him just wanted to be held, he became angry at these conflicting feelings. At least when he was an adult he could push his feelings down and tell himself that there is no rational reason to want human contact. The minute Patton’s hands were on Logan’s back he just found himself wanting to sob because he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be hugged or pull away. Thomas saw that Logan was in distress but for some odd reason couldn’t bring himself to help because the closet behind the two hugging tiny sides may have a monster in it. Virgil was sitting on the couch watching everything unfold when he brought his attention to the mysterious closet, he had never seen anything inside there and was worried that there may be a monster in there who could hurt all three. This led the anxious side to influence Thomas that the closet and anything near the closet was a bad idea. Virgil could remember to an extent that monster did not exist but being seven and unsure made this more difficult. He began to pick his nails and Thomas started to mimic the action. Thomas had decided that the two hugging sides could figure it out on their own while he sat on the couch staring at the closet. After a minute or so he remembered that there was no such thing as monsters and decided it was acceptable to go try and pry Patton off of Logan. At that moment Virgil had found his headphones and decided to put on My Chemical Romance which helped elevate the anxiety.


	2. Part 2

Thomas had approached the two hugging sides cautiously still aware of his underlying anxiety about the closet. He was eventually able to pry the Moral side off of Logan. The logical side looking a little saddened by this turn of events but also happy to be free. Roman had felt the anxious’ sides uneasiness about the closet but princes were supposed to be brave! He found his sword which unfortunately had not shrunk with the rest of his outfit and tried to pick it up. Thomas heard the fanciful side grunting and spun around to see that he was picking up a samurai sword. He nearly tripped over everything while trying to get to the opposite side of the living room all while screaming “Roman” at the top of his lungs. While this was happening, Virgil decided that the noise was too much and had to turn the music up louder as well as hide behind his bangs and a blanket. Logan decided that he and Virgil had more in common than he once thought and decided to take comfort in the fact that he wasn’t the only person distressed by the noises. Roman upon hearing his name dropped the sword and it landed on his foot. His foot wasn’t injured but it was bruised.

Thomas, “Roman you can’t just pick up swords!”

Roman, “I just wanted to defeat the monster in the closet that was scaring you and Virgil.” Virgil blushed and avoided eye contact realizing that being afraid of a monster in the closet didn’t make sense. He was also unaware that Princey could discern the source of his fear. He wondered if this was something Roman was in tune with as grownups. Was Roman always aware of what Anxiety was afraid of and causing Thomas to panic over? Virgil thought and decided that Roman had known what all the fears were and he caused Thomas to tackle his fears head-on. Virgil didn’t really like this dynamic but made Thomas who he was. Virgil would cause him to panic and then Princey would decide whatever it was must be met with a brave face! It worked anxiety would keep Thomas from doing anything too reckless but Roman would keep Thomas outgoing and introducing himself into new situations. Thomas upon hearing the little creative side’s reason started to feel bad.

Thomas, “I’m sorry little buddy. I know that this is not a good situation but you’re small now.” He went over and hugged the small side. Patton came over to hug join the hug with Roman and Thomas. Logan had decided that the company of Virgil was not keeping his attention anymore. He then approached the window to watch the cars, birds, and butterflies. Thomas had finished the hug and continued preparing the room and ordering pizza. While Thomas was on the phone Logan yelled from the window, “Thomas come look at the butterfly!” Thomas being too enthralled by the childlike wonder left the phone and went to go look. Thomas then left the phone on the counter and joined the logical side at the window sill. They ended up watching the butterfly until it flew away and then both them were angry that it went away. Neither of them could figure out why it went away. Patton came over to give Thomas and Logan a reassuring hand on their shoulder. Patton, “Come on kiddos someone needs to finish ordering food.” Thomas went back to the phone but the pizza place had hung up at that point. He then decided that popcorn was enough. Patton wanted to reassure the other sides that everything would be okay but he had to admit he was scared, without the maturity Morality wasn’t entirely sure how to comfort others or how to make Thomas make the right choices. How was he supposed to help when he had very little idea of what was right and wrong? He felt useless, he couldn’t comfort the other sides and tell me it was going to be okay because he was unsure. He couldn’t help Thomas control his emotions because when you’re seven control over your emotion is not something you have. Patton began to cry. Roman came over to try and help since Logan was back at the window watching nature with a twinkle in his eye and Virgil was just on the couch under the blankets looking content and probably couldn’t hear anything anyways. Roman, “What’s wrong Pat? Do I need to kill the closet monster, because I will?” Patton cried harder because he was unaware there was such a thing as a closet monster. Patton through sniffles, “I can’t help anyone anymore. I am too small!” Roman, “But you can do lots of other things!” Patton’s crying let up slightly, “I want to be able to help him cook, make choices between work and friends, make dad jokes, and to take care of the others! How can I help the other two stop being so scared and antisocial?” Roman had an idea he went to the closet. Patton and Virgil whined slightly as the fanciful side approached it with a pillow as a shield. Logan, on the other hand, was intrigued by what could possibly be behind the door and also slightly scared. Roman opened the door cautiously and showed the others that there was no monster, then grabbed twister so that they could have something fun to do. Anxiety would never tell the others that he had an advantage at this game due to practicing ballet in his alone time. Logan was in a similar situation, he decided that the other sides didn’t have to know that when he wanted to decompress or mull things over he would do yoga to unwind.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Concept: All sides are still seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: General anxiety, overwhelming, self doubt

Thomas heard giggling from the living room while he was in the kitchen finishing the popcorn. It piqued his curiosity so he left the popcorn and went to look from the breakfast bar at the small sides. They had found the twister game from the closet, the minute he thought about the closet he felt some anxiety but counted to make sure there were still four of them and since there were there must not have been a monster, he then breathed a sigh of relief. It was quite the sight, Roman didn’t want to get his outfit dirty had offered to spin. What Thomas didn’t know was that Roman had made an excuse to be the spinner but he was actually embarrassed. Roman had once caught Logan’s door slightly ajar and saw the logical side perform some very graceful and difficult yoga poses. Thomas had never really thought of himself as a dancer but sometimes Roman urged Thomas to try new things which is how he ended up in “Singing in the Rain.” The dancing was fun but it took a lot out of Roman, he vowed to only do it if it was the perfect part. One particularly long night of helping Thomas get into character for a certain musical he had returned to the mind palace to get some rest but needed some water beforehand. It was nearly two in the morning so he assumed no one would be in the commons but boy was he wrong. He walked in on seeing Virgil practicing ballet. Roman felt a myriad of feeling but mainly jealous. Why can Hot Topic dance so gracefully and make it look so easy when that was supposed to Roman’s job? He watched in awe of the anxious side and how serene he looked. Roman would of course never tell either of the other two of how jealous he was or even that he knew because then he would get a long lecture about respecting privacy from Logan, whereas Virgil would either deny what the Prince had seen or yell at him for spying.

Thomas watched as Virgil and Logan seemed to easily contort themselves into these complex shapes while Patton was giggling too hard to keep whatever position he already had. He then looked at Princey and saw that maybe there was a gleam in his eye of jealousy. Thomas walked over to Roman to relieve him of his spinner duties so that he could join the other three. Roman made a couple more excuses but eventually conceded to allowing Thomas spin. Roman then albeit a little apprehensively joined the other three sides. It was more fun than he expected neither Logan nor Virgil made fun of the fun-sized Prince for his inflexibility like he thought they might. Morality, on the other hand, was just in a fit of giggles now laying on the twister mat. While Virgil, Logan, and Roman resembled something akin to a human pretzel. Patton had decided to see if he could join the pretzel without resuming the position. So, he decided to crawl in between the tangled sides and it worked for a while but then he got a little too close to Virgil’s ribs and it tickled. The entire glob of tiny humans fell. Thomas had noticed the moral side’s proximity to Virgil and was preparing himself for the worst. Virgil had managed to untangle himself first and went over to Thomas. Virgil looking slightly defeated, “We need to go away.” Thomas looked confused, “What do you mean, go away?” Virgil thought and finally decided to just lead Thomas to his own room upstairs while leaving the other three in the living room still laughing. Virgil shut the door to Thomas’ room and spoke, “It’s too scary here!” Thomas looked at the little one a little shocked. There was a knock at the door, Logan entered. Thomas looked at Logan and said, “Could you tell Anxiety that logically there is nothing to be afraid of?” Logan pushed his glasses up and looked at Virgil, “What exactly are we afraid of?” Virgil responded looking a little sheepish, “Everything! It’s so different being small everything could hurt us.” Logan thought on that for a minute, “That does make sense. So let’s just sit here until it becomes safer.” Virgil, “It isn’t going to get safer, Lo! We are hopeless, we are all small and cannot help Thomas this way.” Virgil had some angry tears welling up in his eyes so he turned away. Logan thought about this, “Thomas how do you feel with us all being small? How is it impacting you?” Thomas looked at the two sides and spoke, “Well I’m scared of everything but also somehow intrigued. I already hated chores but now I have no motivation to do them. Everything either instills wonder or fear, and that’s both of you guys. Usually, Morality is the one that is motivating me to get my chores done as well as adulting. We still need to make a video tomorrow and I don’t know how Roman is going to come up with any ideas!” Thomas was no overwhelmed and sat on the floor defeated.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Concept: The sides are seven but still have some general knowledge and stuff from being 28.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Anxiety attacks and general, self-doubt, I don’t think there are others

Thomas was overwhelmed and sitting on the floor in his room. While Thomas knew he had faced worse things like heartbreak and other very emotionally charged things, having the aspects of his personality stuck at the age of seven was beginning to take its toll. The anxiety about the monster in the closet was just the beginning of things that shouldn’t affect a twenty-eight-year-old. He had no idea how they were supposed to do a vlog tomorrow when everyone was still seven. It was like Thomas couldn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. He wasn’t feeling very optimistic, at that point, Patton came in looking a little green.

All the negative thoughts were affecting Patton while he was the personification of Thomas’ morality he was also there to help support him in everything he did. Patton wasn’t feeling himself today, he was doubting, angry, scared, and maybe anxious. Virgil seemed to pick up on the father figure’s odd demeanor. He moved toward the moral side apprehensively. He could sense the emotions that were weighing down the embodiment of Thomas’ heart. He looked across the room where Thomas was seated, he didn’t look well. He looked pale, exhausted, and on the brink of an anxiety attack. Virgil was curious how that would work since he was Thomas’ anxiety and he felt fine, a little afraid of the unknown and not being a grown-up that nothing substantial enough to cause an attack. Logan was coaching Thomas on breathing and attempting to reassure him. Logan wasn’t too sure of the proper technique on consoling or comforting someone. He decided maybe some physical contact, Logan was obviously apprehensive of this new skill so he decided to sit crisscross in front of Thomas. The little logical side put his forehead against Thomas’, remembering something about grounding helping during a panic attack. Logan still had the majority of his facts, words, and other concepts but it was like they were blurry and out of focus that he couldn’t quite access all of them. 

Anxiety shifted his focus from watching Thomas and Logan back to Morality. He had only taken his eyes off the Moral side for a minute at most and somehow it had gotten worse! Virgil went over and kneeled, upon further inspection, he realized that the Moral side now had darker eyeshadow than his own. Virgil wasn’t the best at comforting but he did know something about anxiety attacks and all the negative feelings that his father figure was experiencing. Virgil had an idea, he got up and walked to the door frame, “Roman get your ass up here!” The word “ass” got a slight grimace from the other three, they weren’t thrilled about cursing in the first place and it was only made worse by it being said by a seven-year-old. Roman began ascending the stairs but became a little nervous as he approached because he could feel all the negative energy waiting for him at the top of the steps. He wanted oh so very much to retreat but princes were brave and fearless, whatever was waiting for him at the top of the steps he deserved. He began to mentally prepare himself for the lecture or yelling that he thought would originally accompany this predicament. Once atop the stairs, he noticed that Virgil looked worried. Roman approached him slowly not wanting to make anyone angrier, “You called for a Prince?” Virgil rolled his eyes, not sure why Princey thought now would be an appropriate time to make a joke. Virgil grabbed the Prince gently by his arm to bring him to the unsettling scene in Thomas’ room. Roman paled at seeing Thomas in such a state, eventually, Virgil nudged the Prince to direct his attention to the Moral side. Roman looked like he was about to pass out upon seeing Patton in such a state. Princey quickly put on a brave face and approached him slowly. He sat in front of Patton and started to talk the Moral side through the breathing exercise Tayln had given Thomas. Virgil took this time to get some information about their situation from Roman since everyone was in the room and could pay attention when needed. Virgil, “So why are we seven?” Roman, “Well I had gone on an adventure earlier in attempt to keep us all safe from the Dragonwitch. Then I had some things to take care of before I left the dreamscape.” Virgil thought that it was sweet that Princey wanted to all of them but he would never say it out loud. Virgil retorted with, “Well she wouldn’t be able to come into the mind palace anyways so what was the point?” Roman was now sitting with Patton’s head in his lap which looked a little odd with both of them being tiny. Roman then stated, “That’s not the point! It is my job to protect all of you! I never thought she would get in the mind palace but since she was something in my side she became my problem.” He realized that he sounded a little defensive and blushed a little. Virgil wasn’t prepared for Princey to argue about this, “So then how did we get this way?” Roman thought and vaguely remembered something from right before being deaged, “Well I remember coming back through the portal to the mind palace. Then I remember finding Pat in my bed sleeping, but by then he was already seven. I looked up from the bed and saw someone approaching me, he then said something about this being for his mother before throwing the potion on me.” Virgil thought this made sense, “So we are seven because you killed someone’s mother! You couldn’t have just set a trap, talked to her, or found magic to keep her away!” Virgil was becoming overwhelmed with this situation, he could remember everything from being an adult but it was like anything that wasn’t “appropriate” for his new age was fuzzy. Virgil remembered sleeping on the couch, he vaguely remembered someone placing a blanket on him, and then he woke up like this. Logan then spoke, “So how do we fix it, Princey?” Roman thought as he ran his fingers through the curled father figure’s hair, then he spoke, “I’m not sure but we have to fix it soon because Thomas nor Pat can take much more of this.” As Roman spoke he was looking at Thomas but then something caught his eye, he moved his head to look more directly at it. Virgil was becoming an adult again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Concept: So this is a continuation of my tinysides fic but this is from the person’s point of view who caused them all to be tiny. There is also a flashback to them as adults.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: anxiety, depression, jealousy (I don’t think there are more.)  
> Pairings: Virgil/ Logan (As adults!)

While Peter had to return to the dreamscape before having the chance to marvel at his work. He had a couple tricks up his sleeve, his mother had a crystal ball and he was certain that he could once again charm it to keep track of the four tiny sides. One of his pastimes was to watch what the four of them were doing, mainly Virgil, but sometimes he just wanted to know what it was like to have a family. Upon returning to his mother’s cave he realized that he was not prepared to enter whatever scene awaited him. Unbeknownst to him, Roman had given his mother a proper burial underneath a weeping willow tree on top of the hill. Not wanting to go into the cave he conjured up the crystal ball and went to the park. It only took him about an hour to get the crystal ball to show him the four sides. He was a little confused on why there were five when it first came about or that the fifth one was also grown. After watching for a while he gathered that the four tiny sides have a lot of influence on the adult. Peter’s focus was to watch Virgil. Some more time had passed and it had become apparent that being tiny was impeding the life of the adult they called “Thomas.” He had been watching intently as the panic spread among the children and they had to comfort Thomas as well as each other. Peter was watching the whole scene unfold in Thomas’ bedroom, he was proud of himself and the chaos and discourse that he had created. He was about to put the crystal ball away long enough to go grab something to eat, but then something had caught his attention. The Prince had said that he remembers hearing and seeing someone approaching before he became a child. Peter mentally kicked himself wishing he had been quicker and sneakier so that his identity could remain a mystery. Roman’s room had made Peter become more dramatic when seeking his revenge, the way he acted and things he said are not what normal people say, these things happen in the movies, not in real life! Peter was absent-mindedly watching the scene that played out before him while thinking about everything he could’ve done differently when getting revenge.

Then his eyes picked up on the slightest bit of magic in the crystal ball. It seems the potion was wearing off Virgil. Peter had been fond of the edgy side, he was very like Peter. It was nice to know that other people woke up some days and could not get out of bed. There were days when he would watch, that Virgil just laid in bed listening to music at the highest volume possible. Most days when Virgil was like that Peter noticed that no one really bothered him but recently the one with the tie had started to show up on these particularly bad days. Peter remembered vividly one-day Virgil had woke up looking like literal death, the eyeshadow wasn’t even necessary due to the bags underneath the anxious side’s eyes. Virgil had decided that even in his almost all dark room it was somehow still too light. He got up only to find a wet washcloth over his face. Virgil had worn sweatpants without a shirt to bed and instantly regretted his decision to wear pants. It was hotter than it ever had been before, Roman must have touched the thermostat. He then lowered the temperature in his room to a temperature made for actual humans to live in like 65 degrees Fahrenheit. He didn’t have the patience to wait for his room to fully drop to this acceptable temperature so he removed the sweats grabbed a washcloth and then dampened it and returned to bed. Once back safely in his bed he placed his headphones on and put the volume all the way up, he would never tell the others that on particularly bad days he had a special playlist consisting of Ultimate Storytime album as well as songs from Heathers the musical, specifically Thomas singing. While these two moments had made Virgil work overtime now that those events had passed without anything too traumatic, it meant that he could look back without too much anxiety. Virgil had “Meant to be Yours” turned on full volume with the washcloth over his eyes. With all these attempts at keeping stimulus out, he didn’t hear when Logan knocked on the door. Logan was trying to help Thomas make a schedule but that was near impossible on Virgil’s really bad days, so he opted to go to the anxious sides’ room. He knocked and waited for a response but one never came. Curiosity and worry overcame Logan’s logical thinking so he turned the knob and opened the door. It was much too dark to be able to gain any information from the room so he summoned a flashlight. With the flashlight in hand, he could see that Virgil was still lying in bed. Logan had already put logic in the wind so when approaching the bed, he became brave and crawled into bed. The slight movement of the bed scared Virgil that he pinned the logical side down to the bed. Virgil really didn’t want to turn on the lights or even interact with people but he had to know what person dared come into his room without permission and especially on a bad day. He made the lights go up and found himself in only his boxers sitting on Logan’s torso. The logical side looked terrified, Virgil quickly released him and tried to put as much distance between the two of them without it being too obvious. Logan slowly crossed the bed to where Virgil was now seated and tried to not stare or have his mouth open as he took in Virgil’s look. This obviously didn’t make sense since they all looked exactly the same but somehow looking at Virgil when he couldn’t hide behind his hoodie or run away. He finally sat next to the anxious side. Neither of them spoke, the other understanding that speaking was something that just wouldn’t work today. Logan grabbed Virgil’s hand and they sat like that for who knows how long, for each of the sides it felt like an eternity. He eventually got the courage to lay back, what he didn’t expect was for Virgil to do the same. So there they lay for the rest of the day Logan completely dressed in his usual teacherly attire and Virgil only wearing boxers. Eventually, Virgil became comfortable with Logan’s company and decided to initiate touch, he rolled over so that his head and chest were on top of Logan. They laid there until both of them fell asleep and then eventually woke up the next morning. Neither of them felt the need to talk about what happened yesterday but they both seemed content with allowing it to happen more frequently, every day would be best.

Peter had thought that it must be nice to have someone who is so concerned about you and to fully accept everything that is “wrong” with you. He had never experienced such unconditional support or love from anyone. He was jealous, he was even jealous just replaying the memory. Was he jealous of the support Virgil had or that Logan was the one who was able to give it to him? He immediately dismissed this thought, he wasn’t made to love.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Anxiety attacks, passing out

Virgil was standing to the side so that Roman could comfort Patton when he felt a strange sensation. The world had gone a little hazy and he was feeling lightheaded, then the world went black. The others watched in horror as the anxious trait fell to the floor, they noticed him hitting the floor before they noticed that he was no longer tiny. Logan was the first one to approach the anxious sides’ body crumpled on the floor. Logan, “Roman can you go get a wet washcloth and a blanket.” The tiny fanciful side left Patton’s side unwillingly but knew that he was the only option. Roman started rushing really wishing they were in the mindpalace so they could just make what they wanted to appear. He was moving so quickly that he missed a step on the way down, still very much not used to using these short little legs for running and questing. Roman knowing that Logan, the only one who would be capable of worrying about others currently, would be worried so he called back up the stairs, “I’m fine, just ignore all the noise you heard!” He could almost feel Logan rolling his eyes at the Prince’s pride, even at seven Logan was still sassy and Roman was still Thomas’ ego so had some issue admitting wrongdoing or mistakes. Roman had finally gathered himself and found a washcloth then had to figure out how to get it wet. He went and got a chair, thinking that being small is really tough, nothing should take this much work. After finally getting the washcloth damp and grabbing a blanket from the couch he made his way back to the stairs, the large blanket dragging behind him on the staircase. Once upstairs he walked to where Logan was located and handed the logical side the water while he spread the blanket over Virgil.

Roman returned to taking care of Patton, as best as one seven-year-old can take care of another. Patton was still in fetal position struggling with breathing in any sort of rhythm, still looking more like Virgil than himself. He looked gaunt and thinner somehow, even though barely any time had passed. With further inspection, Roman’s heart hurt seeing Pat this way. He wondered if Virgil felt this way most days and how he coped with it. Roman went back to sitting crisscross and put Morality’s head in his tiny lap, from this vantage point he could see that Thomas wasn’t looking much better than Pat. Thomas was slumped against the wall looking like he could pass out at any moment. Roman looked between Thomas and the moral side and began to feel overwhelmed. He was really beginning to wish they were all grown again, or for Virgil to at least be awake in order to help this situation. The uncertainty and overwhelming sensation that Roman felt had him near tears but he knew that he had to be strong since Thomas and Patton were a mess, so he decided to hold back the tears, he could cry later in a more suitable atmosphere.

Virgil bolted upright and looked around, he was terrified, Thomas, Roman, and Patton were all experiencing varying levels of anxiety and he could feel it, even though every instinct told him to run he had to fight it, the two seven-year-olds didn’t deserve to have to suffer through his burden. He turned toward where Thomas was, in awe and shock. After everything Virgil had made Thomas suffer through he never once saw the host look this defeated and powerless. Virgil knew that he had to get control over this situation he grabbed Thomas since he looked like he was the most stable, which wasn’t saying a lot given his competition. Virgil moved Thomas to the opposite side of the room where Roman and Patton were sat, he set Thomas against this new wall next to his tiny sides. Virgil sat in front of the three rather anxious sides, “Can you all hear me?” He got a nod out of Roman, a soft groan from Patton, and Thomas was staring blankly at him. Virgil, “Hey Logan can you bring me that washcloth?” Logan brought Virgil the washcloth not really sure what his plan was but interested to see. As an adult, Logan had read in-depth on how to help someone with anxiety come down from an attack, but his brain at seven could not filter that information when he needed it now. Virgil set the cold wet washcloth on the back of Thomas’ neck, he hoped the cold would help bring him back to reality, it did to an extent he looked like he was alive and processing again. Virgil, “Alright now that I think you all can hear me, we need to focus on other things. Let’s first try that breathing exercise Talyn gave us. In for four, hold for seven, and out for eight. Let’s do this a couple more times.” With each repetition, he could feel the anxiety in the room lessen. He was frustrated that all three of them had to feel the same way he did. He was anxiety, he made sure to take on all of that in order to keep the others safe. He was worried about how they would all react the next time he had an attack, would they be overbearing and make it worse since they know how bad it is? He shuddered at that thought, he had been coping with all these feeling for many years, while his tactics were not the healthiest, they kept the others safe. He would gladly put himself in harm’s way with his coping mechanisms if it meant the others and Thomas were safe.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil has to take charge....well kinda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People have asked for a new chapter and I am starting again! Look what you lot started! So this chapter is slow but it will pick back up just be patient!
> 
> Warnings: Crying, some talk of anxiety, food mention
> 
> Let me know if there are more!

This was an absolute mess. The whole situation, Virgil was well aware that he was not cut out to be a dad and was thankful that had never really been an option, until he was stuck with three seven-year-olds and a semi-functioning Thomas. While it is true that his job had always been to protect Thomas and the others, he was nowhere near their guardian. 

Once Virgil had managed to calm down Roman, Patton, and Thomas, everyone was exhausted. Well except for Virgil. He felt on edge, he was now the only fully functioning adult. Which made him laugh as he was neither fully functioning nor an adult but rather a ball of anxiety and a facet of a person. 

Eventually, Virgil had coaxed everyone into heading back downstairs. He had tried to get everyone situated as best he could, with Thomas laying on his back on the couch, as Roman laid on his chest, and Patton was curled into Thomas’ side. On the other hand, the logical side had opted for laying as far away from the other three as possible as if he thought their anxiety was contagious. 

Virgil had busied himself with cleaning up from the night before and making sure that the house was childproof, not really trusting the tiny Prince to stay away from sharp things or Logan to ignore his fascination with electrical outlets. After conjuring what felt like thousands of safety protectors and placing them in their correct spots, he sat down in a chair in the dining room. He took this time to scan the room feeling himself visible relaxing as he saw the others napping softly. 

Now that he had a chance to breathe for the first time since having been returned to his correct age, he had a chance to think and process. He remembered that Roman had said something about their condition having been a revenge thing for Princey killing someone’s mother, but it didn’t make sense on why he was the only one that was returned to his age. He didn’t necessarily blame Roman, he just wished that whatever the Prince did in the imagination would stay there. He let out a sigh, realizing that in some way this was going to be his mess to clean up.

After a few more moments of planning his next move, he decided to get up and do the dishes that Thomas had left in the sink, sitting idly was not helping the anxiety he was feeling. Virgil had gotten through about half the dishes in the sink when he felt a tug at the back of his shirt. It took everything in him not to jump ten feet in the air, but he took a steadying breath before turning around and looking down at a very sad Patton. 

Virgil crouched down leaning against the cabinets so he could face the tiny fatherly trait, “Hey Pat, what’s the matter?”

Patton’s lip was trembling as he flung himself into Virgil and wrapped his arms tightly around the other’s neck, “I don’t wanna be little anymore.”

“Hey, it’s all going to be okay, Patton,” Virgil spoke as he cradled the tiny side in his arms, moving to sit on the floor. 

The Moral Side’s body shook with sobs, “B--but what happens if I can’t tell the difference between right and wrong and Thomas does something bad?”

Virgil sighed into Patton’s hair, “I’ll fix this, Pat. Thomas is twenty-nine years old, he’s been alive long enough to know the difference between right and wrong.” At least he hoped that is how this worked. He hadn’t truly considered the entirety of the toll that having the majority of the aspects of his personality as children would take on Thomas.

Patton sniffled a little, “R--really? You can fix this?” His voice filled with awe and admiration. 

“To be honest Pat...I don’t really know. I’m going to try. I’ve always aimed to protect all of you and especially Thomas so until I can reverse this that is what I am going to do.” Virgil’s words coming out in a sense of determination that he wasn’t even aware he was capable of. 

“I believe in you, Virgey.” Patton said as he placed a hand on the side of his face, a small smile playing on his lips. 

Virgil blushed and for once it was clearly evident due to his foundation fading away due to time and his inability to keep up with it right now. Of course, Virgil will deny it to his dying day but he about melted into a puddle right there in the kitchen. 

Patton giggled and kissed Virgil’s forehead, “You’re cute when you blush, Virgey.”

Virgil chuckled, “If I give you a cookie do you promise to keep it between us?”

The Moral side hummed in thought for a moment, “Two cookies?” He asked with a smirk pulling his big puppy dog eyes that he knew Virgil had trouble saying no to. 

“Pat….That’s not fair.” He teased the tiny side, “But fine….two cookies. You tell anyone and I will hide all the cookies.” He stood back up grabbing two cookies from the cupboard, then gently handing them to Patton. 

Patton happily took the two cookies flashing Virgil a smirk and returned back to the living room to cuddle against Thomas again.

Virgil shook his head as he watched the other Side walked away. He returned to the dishes in the sink, letting his mind wander. It was scary that everything fell onto his shoulders, but the fact that Patton believed he could actually do this gave him a little hope. Now he just had to think about how exactly he was going to do this which probably meant going to the imagination. The anxious side grimaced at that thought, he couldn’t really leave everyone here to fend for themselves and there was no way in hell he was bringing everyone there either. It would just take some careful planning on his part to keep everyone safe.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil decides to investigate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: slight panic, eating mention, hunger mention, hurt feelings anxiety

As if the others knew that Virgil had finished the dishes they all started to stir. Each of them seemed to be much calmer than before. Upon hearing the hushed voices talking Virgil turned to look at the living room, seeing all four of them chatting together he smiled. He walked to the doorway of the living room and smiled, “‘Sup little ones.”

 

Logan and Roman glared at Virgil from their respective spots on the couch looking less than pleased that he felt the need to point out the age difference. Logan spoke first, “Just because we are little does not mean you have to point it out,” he pouted. 

 

Virgil smiled and went over to where Logan was sitting and put the small logical Side in his lap, “You are adorable when you pout, Lo.”

 

At those words, Logan squirmed a bit in Virgil’s lap turning to face him, then spoke, “Falseho--” His interjection was interrupted by a loud noise from his stomach.

 

Virgil laughed as a look of horror and shock overcame Logan’s face, “It seems you’re hungry, Logan.” The logical Side opened his mouth and Virgil glared at him playfully, “If you try to argue with me, pocket-sized protector, I will use your own words against you.” 

 

A look of defeat crossed Logan’s face as he crossed his arms against his chest, “We shouldn’t be hungry! We aren’t real! We only eat in the mindpalace because Patton wants to be a family and Roman insists on using some of creativity to cook.”

 

Thomas looked at the small logical Side, “Logan that was uncalled for,” he paused, “at least I think it was.” He turned to look at Patton curled in the corner near Roman, but the moral Side shrugged.

 

Patton looked from Thomas to Logan, then to Roman hoping one of them would be able to guide his moral compass but no one offered any guidance. Only after Roman squeezed his hand a couple of times did he feel confident enough to speak, “I dunno know...what Lo said hurt my feelings but he could be right...it’s all fuzzy.”

 

Logan pouted a bit more, then spoke himself, “I did not mean to hurt anyone feelings...I just...I can remember some things but a lot of the things that would be helpful in this situation are blocked. I can’t get to them. It makes me grumpy.”

 

Virgil looked at Thomas and his face fell, he quickly put the tiny logical Side back on the couch and went over to where Thomas was, “Hey Thomas. You looked panicked, remember that it is my job not yours,” he paused steadying his breathing, “Do I look panicked?”

 

Thomas turned his head to look at the anxious trait, scrutinizing his face then spoke barely above a whisper, “No...but I can feel the panic...you are still part of me, so even if you are trying to remain calm for their sake, you can’t fool me.”

Virgil cursed inwardly, “I can do this Thomas. I know what I’m going to do. Just watch the little ones the best you can?” 

 

“I will. I can still order a pizza online, I know I can do that. But Virge be safe.” Thomas said pleading with his anxiety. If the situation were different perhaps he’d find the irony in telling the Side that keeps him safe, to be safe.

 

Virgil shook his head, smirking, “It is my job to keep  _ you  _ safe, Thomas. I’ll be fine, just worry about the three, ankle biters.” 

 

Thomas glared at him, “You know full well they would never bite my ankle.”

 

“I wouldn’t put it past Roman,” Virgil said keeping his head down and speaking loud enough to gain a noise of offense from the tiny fanciful Side. He gave Thomas his trademarked two finger salute then went to his spot on the stairs to sink out. He surveyed the room one last time as he sunk out and saw the scared look on Logan’s face, he just had to hope that the logical Side would ask for help if he needed it.

* * *

 

Virgil was thankful that Roman had left his door open knowing that there was always some sort of trick to getting into Princy’s room and it always ended poorly. He took a deep breath stepping into the fanciful Side’s room and heading for the closet. He rolled his eyes at the sense of irony, knowing that in Thomas’ childhood this closet was his safe space, it was his place to be happy and daydream safely in the corner of his mind.

 

Once the closet door was open and Virgil crossed the threshold, he took in his new surroundings. It all looked the same, he scanned the field in front of him before his eyes landed on a navy blue fox. Even for the imagination a living creature when Roman was away  _ that  _ was out of the ordinary. He eyed the oddly colored animal suspiciously as it began to run off into the distance. He frowned, every fiber of his being said he should go anyway but follow it but he found himself having no choice.

 

The anxious Side started off in a run, trailing behind the oddly colored fox. He had always hated running but running after an animal that put him on edge, well that seemed like something Roman would do, not him. 

 

The navy blue fox eventually came to a halt beneath a large weeping willow tree. Virgil approached the tree slowly watching the fox curl up underneath the tree and then slowly shapeshift...He could feel his breathing becoming harder to control, but right now he had a choice  _ fight or flight  _ and for once today he chose to fight. He put his hands up and balled them into fists as Roman had taught him, slowly pivoting his foot backward for leverage, bending his knees slightly and waited. What he was waiting for he didn’t know but right now, he was going to be as ready as he could. 

 

Before his eyes, the small navy blue fox became a man, not much shorter than Virgil. The man looked over at Virgil, his green eyes shining brightly, “Welcome to my realm, Anxiety.” Peter said with a smirk as he jumped up and crouched in the tree branch.


End file.
